Ticket-case.



No. 777,418. PATBNTED DEC. 13, 1904.

L. M. HOPKINS.

TICKET CASE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 25.1902.

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PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS M. HOPKINS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO RAND, MGNALLY 8;()0, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION.

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EPJEGIFIOATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 777,418, datedDecember 13, 1904.

Application filed July 25, 1902. Serial No. 117,017. (No model.) i

have invented certainnew and usefulImprovements in Ticket-Cases, ofwhich the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to that class of ticket-cases in which thetickets are contained in tubes, each of which is open at its front end,save for a stop for arresting the forward movement of the tickets and atthe same time permitting the front ticket to be drawn downward and outthrough a space be tween the stop and the front edge of the bottom, anydesired number of these tubes being arranged in a suitable casing, sothat they incline downward and forward, means (prefcrabl y a sphericalweight) being provided for feeding them forward.

Heretofore the tube has been open at the top, and considered intransverse section it has comprised not to exceed three angles or bends,while usually it has comprised only two-that is to say, usually the tubehas been wholly without a top side and has consisted of a'bottom sideand two vertical sides made of a single piece of metal having tworightangled bends located at the junctions of the bottom and verticalsides. In a more recent form of tube only one of the vertical sides iscarried to the full height, and this side has been SLllll'lOllDtGtl by ashort flange extending inward and forming a partial top side. Thesetubes being in one instance wholly open at the top and in the otherinstance partially open both at the top and at one of the vertical sidesadmit dust and light, and this is objectionable, because the tickets forsmall stations that are infrequently called for remain in the tubes forlong periods of time, the result being that before they are used up theyare soiled and faded. Furthermore, in case of lire while they may not bedamaged by the lire itself they are apt to be damaged by water andsmoke. Again, thickness of metal and other things being equal, a tubehaving only three sides and two angles or a tube having only twocompletesides and two partial sides and only three angles is not so strong andrigid asonc having four angles.

The one object of the present invention is to provide a ticket-tube thatwill exclude dust, light, water, 620., as much as possible, and anotherobject of the invention is to provide a tube of maximum strengthand'minimum weight and cost. In order to accomplish the object firststated, the tube proper has a complete top side and complete verticalsides, and its rear end is adapted to be closed by the back of the caseor cabinet, while its bottom side, if not complete, is closed by theshelf on which it rests. In order to accomplish the object next stated,the tube has four sides united by fohrangles, and for the accommodationof the thumb and linger in inserting a bunch of tickets one of the sideshas a slot which extends from the rear end of the tube to within asuitable distance of the front end thereof, a portion of this slottedside at the front end of the tube being preferably left complete andintact.

In the accompanying drawings, which are made a part ofthisspecii'ication, Figure l is a vertical section of a ticket-caseembodying the inventionin its preferred form. Fig. 2 is an enlargedsection of a portion thereof in a vertical plane cutting one of thetubes longitudinall-y. Fig. 3 is a section thereof on the line 3 3, Fig.2, looking in the direction of the arrow. Fig. l is a perspective viewof one of the tubes.

A represents a case or cabinet which may be of any suitable form, and Ba" number of ticket-tubes arranged therein. Each tube comprises a topside Z), a bottom side I), and two vertical sides 6, all of which arepreferably formed of a single piece of sheet metal bent four times atright angles and resulting in four angles or corners. The front edge ofeach of the vertical sides 7/.is providedwith an inwardly-projectingflange 6", and. these flanges are located a short distance beyond thefront edge of the bottom side I), so as to form stops for limiting theforward movement of the tickets and at the same time leave aspacc justsuliicient to permit the tickets to be drawn out one at a time incustomary manner. The tube is supported within the case or cabinet by aninclined shelf or slat C, which is of suf ficient width to completelyclose a slot 5 in the bottom side of the tube, and the tube is held inplace on the shelf by a spring-clamp D. The rear end of the tube formsan acute angle with the top side and bears squarely against the backwall a of the cabinet, and said back wall is preferably providedimmediately above the tube with the strip a, which overhangs the tubeand serves to break the joint between the rear end of the tube and saidwall, so that water running down the inner surface of the wall will beprevented from entering the rear end of the tube.

Within the tube is a spherical weight E, which bears against the ticketsand serves to feed them toward the front end of the tube and hold thefront ticket in contact with the flanges b in customary manner. here thebottom of the tube is provided with a wide slot, the weight will besupported by the inclined board of slat C.

Having thus described my invention, the following is what I claim as newtherein and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A ticket-tube having a top side, a bottom side and two verticalsides, a stop located at the front end of the tube and beyond the frontedge of the bottom for arresting the forward movement of the tickets andpermitting the foremost ticket to be drawn out between the stop and theedge of the bottom, and means for feeding the tickets forward, the rearend of the tube being open for the admission of the tickets, the top ofthe tube being closed and one of the remaining sides of the tube beingopen for accommodating the fingers in inserting the tickets,substantially as described.

2. A ticket-tube having a top side, a bottom side and two verticalsides, a stop located at the front end of the tube and beyond the frontedge of the bottom for arresting the forward movement of the tickets andpermitting the foremost ticket to be drawn out between the stop and thebottom and means for feeding the tickets forward, the rear end of thetube being open for the admission of the tickets and one of the sides ofthe tube being provided with a longitudinal slot, substantially asdescribed.

3. A ticket-tube having a top side, a bottom side and two verticalsides, a stop located at the front end of the tube for arresting theforward movement of the ticket and means for feeding the ticketsforward, the rear end of the tube being open for the admission of thetickets and the bottom side of the tube being provided with alongitudinal slot, substantially as described.

A. A ticket-tube having a top side, a bottom side and two verticalsides, a stop located at the front end of the tube for arresting theforward movement of the tickets, and means for feeding the ticketsforward, the rear end of the tube being open for the admission of thetickets and one of the sides of the tube being provided with alongitudinal slot extending from the rear end of the tube toward thefront end of the tube and terminating some distance from the front endof the tube, thereby leaving the four sides of the tube intact at thefront end, substantially as described.

5. A ticket-tube having a top side, a bottom side and two verticalsides, a stop at the front end of the tube for limiting the forwardmovement of the tickets, a spherical weight for feeding the ticketsforward, the rear end of the tube being open for the admission of thetickets and the bottom side of the tube being provided with alongitudinal slot, in combination with a shelf supporting the tube andclosing the slot thereof, substantially as described.

6. A ticket-tube having a top side, abottom side and two vertical sides,a stop for limiting the forward movement of the tickets and means forfeeding the tickets forward, the rear end of the tube being open for theadmission of the ticket, the top side of the tube being closed, and oneof the remaining sides of the tube being provided with a longitudinalslot in combination with a cabinet having means for closing the rear endof the tube, substantially as described.

7. A ticket-tube having a top side, a bottom side and two verticalsides, the four sides being united by four angles and the top side andvertical sides being closed, and the rear end of the tube being open forthe admission of the tickets, a stop for limiting the forward movementof the tickets and means for feeding the tickets forward, substantiallyas described.

8. A ticket-tube having a top side, a bottom side and two verticalsides, the top side being closed, and one of the remaining sides beingprovided with a longitudinal slot, the rear end of the tube being openfor the admission of the tickets and the front end of the tube beingprovided with a stop for limiting the forward movement of the tickets,and means for feeding the tickets forward, substantially as described.

LOUIS M. HOPKINS.

Witnesses:

H. M. MUNDAY, H. M. McDoNELL.

